Functional structure of gminas in Poland – classification approaches and research opportunities

The aim of the article is to define the concept of territorial classification and typology, including classification and typology of spatial units, and to systematize the practical variants of the method, as well as to identify the possibilities of using functional structure as a research tool. It systematizes existing approaches of creating functional classifications and typologies and presents examples of their application in analyses to interpret and explain dissection of individual variables. The paper consists of two parts. In the first one the spatial unit classification has been defined and distinguished from related terms. Different classification of rural areas has been systemized using formal and methodological or substantive criteria. In the second part, diverse empirical examples of rural spatial units classifications regarding functional structure and their application have been examined in relation to above mentioned systematics.